Ultrasound and microbubble-mediated blood-brain barrier disruption: Pre-clinical best practices

Abstract

The combination of trans-cranial ultrasound and microbubbles has been shown to open the blood-brain barrier safely and reversibly. The potential for neurological therapies and functional imaging with this approach is enormous. The future success of this procedure requires robust pre-clinical research and carefully conducted clinical studies that lower the cost of the therapy without compromising patient safety. This talk focuses on the hardware necessary for successful pre-clinical studies in mice and rats. It will explore the pros and cons of off-the-shelf, turnkey systems; custom lab-developed systems; and repurposed clinical systems. It will discuss best practices for animal handling. Toward clinical translation, the talk will conclude with an overview of some of the regulatory hurdles faced by those trying to move these therapies into patients. With this, it will provide recommendations for things to consider in upstream experimental design.